Youth of the Nation
by Wonderful Failure
Summary: A very angsty songfic for the song Youth of the Nation by P.O.D. If you love angst, then plz r/r...It's pretty sad.


****
    
    Author's Notes: The song is owned by POD. The characters are owned by Squaresoft.
    **Youth of the Nation
    By: **Wonderful Failure
    _Last day of the rest of my life
    I wish I would've known
    Cause I would've kissed my mama goodbye
    _
    "Yo, Ma!" Zell called, running down the stairs early one Monday morning.
    "Yes?" his mother asked, turning from her position at the sink, washing dishes.
    "I'm off to school!" Zell cried, heading for the door.
    "Aren't you gonna' eat your breakfast?" Ma Dincht inquired.
    "No time for that, Ma!" Zell yelled.
    "Well aren't you going to give me a goodbye kiss?" his mother questioned, placing a finger on her right cheek.
    "Tch," Zell sounded. "I'm too old for that!"
    And with that Zell was out the door.
    _I didn't tell her that I loved her, how much I care
    Or thank my pops for all the talks
    And all the wisdom he shared
    _
    "Maybe I shoulda' told her I love her," Zell thought as he ran down the empty street. "Or thank Pa for the talk we had last night? But…nah, I can't. I can't be late for school."
    _Unaware, I just did what I always do
    Everyday, the same routine
    Before I skate off to school
    _
    Upon reaching the town exit, Zell whipped out his flashy T-board.
    "I'll tell 'em when I get home," Zell said. "I got a test t'day, anyway."
    Hopping onto his T-board, Zell skated half a mile down the road until Garden came into view.
    _But who knew that this day wasn't like the rest
    Instead of taking a test
    I took two to the chest
    _
    "Damn…Quistis is givin' us a test today," Zell murmured. "Didn't study, but…"
    Rising up from his hunched over position, a look of confusion came over Zell's face when he saw a student standing all by himself. The students around him seemed to be running away, as if they were trying to get away from him. He saw people running and could hear their screams.
    Suddenly Zell's confused look turned into a look of pure terror when he saw the young boy turn around and point a gun directly at Zell, who was only a couple yards away.
    Letting out a scream of horror, Zell felt the unbearable pain as he felt two shiny bullets pierce through the air and stab deep into his chest.
    _Call me blind, but I didn't see it coming
    Everybody was running
    But I couldn't hear nothing
    _
    Zell lay in a pool of blood, his T-board several feet away. Looking down at his chest, Zell saw where his black T-shirt was stained a horrible shade of red. The material was torn and he could see the blood coming up like a sea of red through the wounds.
    "I…didn't…didn't know…" Zell sputtered, covering his chest with both of his hands, desperate to stop the bleeding.
    Zell's blue eyes looked up from his chest, and he could see the students of Balamb running in terror. He couldn't hear any of their screams but he knew they were screaming. He didn't bother wiping the tears as they fell from his eyes. He knew he was dying. The pain in his chest was calming down as his vision began to drift away.
    _Except gun blasts, it happened so fast
    I don't really know this kid
    But I sat by him in class
    _
    Zell could hear even more gunshots as he drifted away. Desperate to put a face to his killer, Zell opened his eyes one final time. He was young, about seventeen years old. He had brown hair and scar between two icy blue eyes.
    "That kid…" Zell whispered.
    Zell's heart began to stop as his life flashed before his eyes. He didn't know his killer, but he sat next to him in class.
    _Maybe this kid was reaching out for love
    Or maybe for a moment
    He forgot who he was
    Or maybe this kid just wanted to be hugged
    Whatever it was
    I know it's because
    _
    The darkness settled in as Zell died. He knew he was dead, he was surrounded by darkness. He wondered why that scarred kid shot him.
    "Did he want love?" Zell asked. "Or did he forget who he was? If only they would've showed him some love then…I could…say goodbye…"
    _We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    _
    Students emerged from their hiding places, looks of terror on their faces as they saw the young boy being taken in by policemen and law officers.
    He struggled, screaming curses and evil promises at the survivors.
    "We're the youth of the nation!" he cried. "We're all the fuckin' youth of the nation! And I swear to Hyne that I'll get you! I'll get all of you!"
    _Little Suzy, she was only twelve
    She was given the world
    With every chance to excel
    _
    A young, brown-haired girl looked down at the handful of cash her older cousin gave her. She smiled sadly, telling her to go by herself a new dress.
    Her emerald eyes swelled with tears as she looked down at the dried blood on her yellow dress.
    "…Zell's blood," she whimpered.
    _Hang with the boys and hear the stories they tell
    She might act kind of proud
    But no respect for herself
    _
    "I hear you and Zell were friends," a lanky boy called.
    The young brunette nodded sadly, walking down the quiet hallway the next day.
    "He's dead," another boy replied.
    The little girl fought the tears as past memories flooded into her mind.
    She pictured herself holding onto Zell's lifeless body. She had hugged him, telling him he'd be okay. He was already dead, but she wanted so badly for him to live.
    He was her best friend.
    Her emerald eyes trailed down to her wrists as she winced. Pale scars lined her wrists like bracelets. Some were old, some were fresh.
    _She finds love in all the wrong places
    The same situations
    Just different faces
    _
    "Zell'd want me to go on," Selphie whispered. "He was my friend!"
    A dark-haired boy held onto her, telling her he loved her.
    She didn't say anything to him. The exact same thing had happened just a couple days ago. It was the exact same words, just a different person.
    _Changed up her pace since her daddy left her
    Too bad he never told her
    She deserved much better
    _
    "Daddy's gone," Selphie murmured as she arrived at her dorm later that evening. "He's gone now…just like Zell…"
    Reaching into the drawer of her nightstand, the green-eyed brunette pulled out a shiny razorblade. Placing it on the bottom of her wrist, she bit her lip as she let out a soft sigh.
    "I don't deserve to live. I couldn't protect Zell. I just couldn't protect him," she whispered.
    And with that, Selphie brought the razorblade across her wrist, wincing as the blade cut into her skin. Blood poured from the fresh wound like a waterfall. She felt faint as the darkness closed in on her. She didn't bother screaming for help. It was like a twisted form of heaven…
    The angels were the darkness, dancing around her. And Hyne was the razorblade. The one who had saved her.
    "I…I deserved it…" Selphie whispered.
    The little girl fell onto the floor, her eyes closed. Her heart had stopped beating. She had saved herself.
    _Johnny boy always played the fool
    He broke all the rules
    So you would think he was cool
    _
    A blonde-haired man shoved a junior classmen into the wall, a smirk across his face. He knew his friends were dead. He knew so many students had died. He didn't care. He wanted to be cool.
    _He was never really one of the guys
    No matter how hard he tried
    Often thought of suicide
    _
    "Just fuckin' leave us alone, Seifer," a dark-haired student cursed. "Get away from us."
    "You're nothing," a different student replied. "You never were and you never will be. You're a loser. You don't fit in here…Why don't you just…kill yourself?!"
    Seifer just grinned, hiding his inner hurt from the young students.
    Walking away from them, Seifer let out a trembling sigh as he fought the tears. This was the night he'd end his life.
    _It's kind of hard when you ain't got no friends
    He put his life to an end
    They might remember him then
    _
    "No friends," Seifer mumbled.
    He felt around in his drawers for the pistol Squall had given him a week ago.
    "Here…" Seifer trailed off as he lifted the small gun from its hiding place underneath his shirts.
    A sad smile curved across his lips as he checked the gun to see if it was loaded.
    "Thank Hyne," Seifer whispered.
    _You cross the line and there's no turning back
    Told the world how he felt
    With the sound of a gat
    _
    Holding the pistol up to his head, Seifer's hand trembled slightly.
    "Don't chicken out now, you pussy," Seifer cursed. "There's no turning back now."
    Seifer closed his sky blue eyes, his bottom lip trembling as he put his finger on the trigger.
    "…They'll know," Seifer murmured. "They'll find the letter."
    And with that, Seifer pulled the trigger. The gunshot rang in his ears for only a second as he felt the bullet enter his head, ending his life immediately.
    _We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    _
    "So many…young people dying," a middle-aged instructor said between sobs as she looked at the list of victims from Squall Leonheart's violent outrage.
    "It's sad," a male instructor commented as he bowed his head in sadness. "The youth of the nation…slipping away like sand…"
    _Who's to blame for the lives that tragedies claim
    No matter what you say
    It don't take away the pain
    _
    "Dammit, Squall!" Quistis screamed as she glared down at her former student. He had killed so many students a couple days prior.
    He looked up at her with those stormy eyes as she stared at him from behind a wall of glass.
    The police officer gave him a dirty look.
    "Why the hell did you do this?!" Quistis cried. "Are you insane?! Nobody'll ever forgive you! Nor will I! You're a monster! You're nothing but a monster! I hope they give you the death penalty! Even if you'd apologize a thousand times, I'd never forgive you! Zell, Selphie, Seifer! They're all dead! They were your _friends_, Squall! And they're dead! You'll never take the pain away, Squall! I hope you burn in Hell!"
    _That I feel inside, I'm tired of all the lies
    Don't nobody know why
    It's the blind leading the blind
    _
    "My…my precious students," Quistis murmured as she looked at the night sky from the 2F balcony.
    She let out a soft sigh, her eyes wet from tears. She didn't bother wiping them away as they strolled down her cheeks in rivers.
    "They're…they're gone…now…Zell, Selphie, Seifer…all of you. I…I'm so sorry. I'm just…so tired of all these lies. All the pain…Nobody'll ever understand. All I can do is say I'm sorry. I hope you forgive me. It's just I…feel so helpless."
    Quistis stepped onto the balcony railing. Looking down at the plains of Balamb twenty feet below, she let out a soft sigh.
    And with that, Quistis let herself fall, silently through the night air until she landed on the ground with a sickening _thud.
    _
    _I guess that's the way the story goes
    Will it ever make sense
    Somebody's got to know
    _
    "And that's how it goes," Matron whispered.
    She stared at the small television screen, an expressionless look across her pale face.
    "They're gone now…so many…so many lost lives. Because of…Squall. But why? Why doesn't it make any sense? Why did he do such a terrible thing? Will…anyone ever know?"
    _There's got to be more to life than this
    There's got to be more to everything
    I thought exists
    _
    "There's got to be a different ending," Matron murmured. "It can't end like this. Life's not a…a game! You don't just _lose_ like this! Zell? Selphie? Seifer? Quistis? Why…why are you gone?! I thought there was so much more to this…I thought that…it'd never end…It's like…I don't even exist."
    _We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    We are, We are, (We are) the youth of the nation
    _
    "The brutal shooting at Balamb Garden two days ago has left a critical wound in the side of Generation-X. With 34 students dead and a presumed 75 injured, the culprit, 17-year-old Squall Leonhart will be attending court Tuesday of next week. An additional 4 students _and_ an instructor killed themselves not long after the shooting occurred," a young reporter declared. She held in a jagged breath as she wiped at teary eyes. "The youth of the nation…The youth of the nation'll never be the same."


End file.
